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Friday, December 26, 2014

And Premier Edition for PC/Mac

I've been getting lots of questions lately about the Xbox One release, and I'm happy to say we're on track for a Q1 release. In addition to fixing a number of bugs, we're also adding new content in the form of additional audio and text logs to collect and new original music from Lifeless Planet composer Rich Douglass. There's also a number of visual upgrades throughout, most notably the addition of normal-mapped terrains. This visual effect is quite striking and adds lots of apparent depth and detail to the landscapes:

We're targeting February for the Xbox One release, but that may slip to March. I'll post again
when we have a firm date. There's still some optimization work to
do, but otherwise I think we have all the major issues dealt with. This
project has been a serious undertaking, but the fantastically talented
Jazon Burnell is taking the lion's share of the effort. Wonderful to not be
working alone anymore! What a concept, right?

Premier Edition Coming to PC/Mac

In the spirit of giving, I'm happy to announce we are also planning to release the Lifeless Planet Premier Edition for PC and Mac, shortly after the Xbox One release. This new version will bring the improvements and additions from the Xbox version to the PC and Mac. I know PC users have been waiting for an update for a while now, but the last few months we've had to concentrate on the Xbox build. Part of that Xbox One work has meant moving the game to a newer version of the Unity game engine (the original version was built in Unity 3). This was a serious undertaking, but the benefit is that the update coming really is a major new release. There will also be very significant performance improvements which should make the game more playable on laptops and slower desktops.

The best part? I'm happy to let you know that the Premier Edition will be a free upgrade to anyone who currently owns the game! And if you don't already own a copy, it's on sale right now (for a few more days) at 50% off...

We're still a very small team here, but I hope you see we're working hard to keep improving the game. There will be even bigger things to come in 2015 (the film project isn't dead, for one thing). Very big things... Thank you for sticking with me, sending the kind words about the game, and for all your patience when I'm not always able to respond quickly to your emails. I'm amazed at what we've been able to accomplish together!

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Enjoyed Lifeless Planet and want to see more? Now is your chance to support the next chapter in the Lifeless Planet story... Wayside Creations and Stage 2 Studios are teaming up to produce a live-action short film inspired by the game. Wayside has made a name for themselves by creating unique and high-quality films based on video game stories, including several extremely popular series up now on Machinima Prime. I'm super-excited to see what they'll produce with Lifeless Planet: Arrival. Check out the Lifeless Planet film project on Kickstarter for more info and to get involved.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Announced at PAX Prime this week: Lifeless Planet, the Movie! A new short film coming soon from Wayside Creations -- creators of the hit series Fallout: Nuka Break -- and Stage 2 Studios ...details soon!

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

The headline pretty much says it all... Lifeless Planet was featured in the E3 2014 Xbox Media Briefing, and we exhibited the game in the Xbox booth all three days. It was an amazing week and an incredible experience. I've known for a little while that this was coming (thus we knew to be in Los Angeles for the show!), but it's been hard to keep such a big secret!

We are targeting a fall release for the Xbox version and I'll post details on the release date when we're ready to announce. Thanks to everyone who's supported this game from the beginning and thanks to Microsoft and ID@Xbox for inviting us to the briefing and E3!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

The Summer sale is here! You can now save 20% off Lifeless
Planet—but hurry because the sale ends
this weekend! And if you've been waiting for the Mac version, you can now
get in on the Lifeless Planet experience too! Buy it on this site (see box above) for the sale price and you'll get a DRM-free version PLUS a Steam key... and nearly all of the purchase price goes to help future projects from our small but scrappy studio. You can even give a little more by clicking the + symbol next to the price!

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Or get the preview version now on Steam Early Access...

Launch preparations are nearly finished... and we've set a date for the full release of Lifeless Planet!

Lifeless Planet will be available to purchase from Steam and all other leading digital retailers on June 6th 2014. The game will feature English text and voice overs along with full text and subtitled localization into German, Russian, French and Spanish languages.

Selected UK retailers will also be stocking physical copies in stores the same day with further releases to follow throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

Please note the beta build on Steam right now includes levels 1-6 of the 20 levels that will be in the final version of the game. It is also being offered at a discount off the retail launch price AND by purchasing the Early Access build, you will automatically get the full release for no extra cost on June 6!

The English version is up now, but more subtitled versions are coming
soon, along with a Mac build. After you play the beta, please post any
bug reports or suggestions in the Steam forums or at
feedback.lifelessplanet.com.

Friday, April 4, 2014

I'm happy to announce I've finally this week finished the full beta for Lifeless Planet. This is a private beta, but it's an important step in finishing the game. Things are coming together very quickly!

I've also released a new video that features some "moving screenshots" from the public beta available on Steam. The video includes some of the positive comments from gamers who've played the early beta:

Friday, January 24, 2014

Wow, another month... Guess with the holidays and travel that was to be expected. In any case, things are back in full swing. Working on getting alpha cleaned up and ready for Steam Early Access (hoping to have that up in a couple weeks), and at the same time moving ahead with beta. I've received a lot of good feedback from testers and press. I've been fixing bugs, of course, but also putting as many little finishing touches into the game as possible without getting bogged down in the details. Wednesday I finally got real-time reflections working on the astronaut's helmet:

Of course, it looks even better in-game. Little things like this add up to a huge improvement in the overall visual feel. Lifeless Planet will never be a AAA game, but I'm doing the best in the short amount of time till release to make the visuals the best they can be.

I also added all-time SSAO to the game. This helps objects appear more grounded and connected by shading all the little nooks and crannies where objects meet. The best way to explain this is by showing it with this animated gif:

As you can see, it helps to make the astronaut connect with the ground a little better as the area around his feet are now shadowed. Without it, the player character and other objects seem to "float" in the world. Wikipedia tells me SSAO was first used in the Crysis games, so quite cool that I can get it working in the Unity engine. I'm constantly impressed by what Unity can do.

Buzz

The Story

While seeking life on a distant planet, a skeptical astronaut discovers an abandoned Russian laboratory and suspects his mission is a hoax until a mysterious young woman saves him from a strange and deadly phenomenon...

Lifeless Planet is a new action-adventure game for PC/Mac, Xbox One and PS4.

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About the Creator

Lifeless Planet is more than just a video game. It's the expression of my passion for creating media that inspires. It's the culmination of years of learning, experimentation, and ambition.

I'm trying to deliver something different from what you usually get from the big studios and publishers. As primarily a one man team I know I have to be realistic with my goals, but I do hope to surprise people with what can be produced by a small team with the desire to create something unique and unexpected.

At the same time, there's no way small indie studios like mine could exist without the amazing set of tools and technology available to game developers today, or without the backing of active, engaged communities of people. This is a revolutionary age, and I don't use that phrase lightly.

In short, I'm pouring my heart and soul into this project, and I can't thank you enough for taking an interest in Lifeless Planet.